


The Farewell

by galaxiesreader



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Ending, Ben Solo Lives, F/M, One Shot, Redeemed Ben Solo, Reylo - Freeform, TROS fix it fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22324306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxiesreader/pseuds/galaxiesreader
Summary: An alternate ending of The Rise of Skywalker, where Ben's final act does not cost him his life, but may cost him something else. My take on a happier and more hopeful ending to Rey's story, and his.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	The Farewell

She was going to return the sabers to their home. Or at least, that’s what Rey had told the others.  


\--  


When Rey had returned from Exegol, she was greeted by a haze of smiles and celebrations. People who she loved—and people who she barely knew—were embracing her all the same, proud of her victory, and of theirs. There were too many people and too much commotion surrounding everything for anyone to fully take in Rey’s expression—for if they did, they would have noticed that beyond her dimming smile, she was in a daze. She couldn’t stop reliving the final moments she had on Exegol, after Palpatine was gone, after she had died, and after she had lived once again. After all of that, what she couldn’t get out of her head were those final, fleeting moments with Ben.

_Ben._

He had come back for her. To let her know, once again, that she was not alone. She had never given up hope for him, but she knew not to sit around waiting either. After a childhood of scavenging, Rey had learned all about broken things. She knew when there was something she could salvage—something good to come from scattered parts—and when to let something be. With Kylo, she felt his conflict and knew there was something worth saving underneath that mask, but what happened in the throne room showed her that she couldn’t make the right choice on his behalf. But even then, on opposite sides of a war, the powerful light and powerful darkness that Master Skywalker spoke of, they both knew they were meant to stand together. It had felt so right, to stand together—to be together—on Exegol. 

And then there was the kiss. Had it lasted two seconds? Ten? Rey didn’t remember exactly how it started or how long it had lasted, but she couldn’t shake its aftermath. After all that time with voices in their heads, it was just the two of them, basking in the silence of the moment, their faces in each other’s hands and each other’s hearts.

Like always, it was Ben who broke the silence.

“I can’t go back with you.” 

His voice was quiet but unwavering. There was an instant of confusion, then pain, then panic. Rey’s mind had started to race as she took in what he had just said, and what it meant. There were a million things she wanted to say, but her mouth struggled to pick even one and all that came out was incoherent stuttering.

“Rey, please. Just listen. There’s nothing left for me. The First Order is gone, my family isn’t here to protect me, and the Resistance won’t accept me.”

“Ben, that is—”

“—and they shouldn’t. Not after everything I’ve done.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying…I’m saying that there’s another way. Go to the Resistance and tell them what happened here. Tell them I’m gone. You’re the only one who would know otherwise. When it’s all over, when its safe, make your way to Tatooine. Beyond the wastes, on the salt flat, there’s a place. A homestead. I’ll meet you there.”

“What should I tell the others? They’ll suspect something, I have nothing bringing me to Tatooine.”

Ben had considered her for a moment, then reached for the saber that had belonged to his Master, Luke Skywalker, and his father Anakin before him. He paused to take it in, finally worthy of the saber’s legacy. After a beat, he had locked eyes with Rey and placed it gently in her hands. She nodded, understanding, and with a final embrace, they split.  


\--  


_I’m returning the sabers to their home._ That’s what she had told them. It wasn’t technically a lie, she thought, because if they belonged to anyone, it was Ben. And besides, she didn’t need them anymore. She had spent much of her downtime on Ajan Kloss constructing a saber of her own. It was imperfect, but it was hers: the hilt came from reassembled parts of her staff and the blade was gold, like the bright rays of the Jakku sun she grew up under.

Poe and Finn had wanted to come with her, of course. Though she wanted friends by her side, she knew this was something she needed to do alone. A messy explanation that it’s a “Jedi pilgrimage” and “essential” to her journey in the Force seemed to be enough for them to let it go. Even BB-8 stayed behind, as she was unwilling to risk even a droid knowing her secret. 

With the Skywalker sabers and her own in tow, she took her place in the pilot seat of the Falcon and set off.

\- 

In her descent to its surface, Rey noted that Tatooine was just like she’d always imagined growing up. Stories of Luke Skywalker coming from a lowly desert planet just like Jakku had comforted her when she looked to the stars at night, dreaming of the wider galaxy beyond. Tatooine was all the things Jakku was, but it was never her home. Though, in a way, it was Luke’s, and that thought brought a hint of a smile to her face as the small homestead in the desert grew larger in her sight.

Rey parked the Falcon a short distance from the homestead, and suddenly felt a pit in her stomach. Was this the right place? It all seemed so empty, even for Tatooine. Was Ben even here? Had he decided not to come, or even worse, had something gone wrong? Before any worse thoughts came into her head, she took a breath, turned off the ship, and began to walk down its ramp, toward whatever lay ahead. 

As she walked toward the homestead, the only thing filling the vast landscape was eerie silence, and the sound of her own heart beating louder with every step. Her worst fears were put to rest, when from the doorway of the homestead, Ben emerged. It was definitely him, but he was different. Gone was the black ensemble that she’d grown accustomed to, replaced by boots and pants that bore a striking resemblance to his father, and a light and flowing shirt that had the simple elegance of his mother. But beyond the likeness to his family, what caught her attention was how much he looked like Ben Solo. He seemed to be free, and totally, completely, himself. She couldn’t help but smile.

“If this is supposed to be your hiding spot from now on, you’ve picked a good place. I’m not sure even Jawas could find their way out here anymore.”

He was in the doorway, and she was across the sand, but suddenly they were in each other’s arms. In the midst of their embrace, Rey’s mind began to catch up to everything that was happening.

“This can work. It won’t be easy, but I managed to slip away from everyone and I’m sure I could do it again. I can find excuses, bring you supplies, whatever you need. This can work.”

When finally, Rey pulled back to look up at him, his expression did not match her eagerness. His eyes were bright with tears he wouldn’t let fall, yet there was a brief smile across his face.

“If I spend the rest of my life doing good where I can around the galaxy, it still might not be enough to make up for what I’ve done.” He took a moment to look at her, study her, and he reached his hand up to her face to stroke it gently.

“But I have to try.”

Every initial instinct Rey had was telling her to protest this, to tell him they could find their way around this, but through the Force, she could sense his resolve. As in the throne room on the Supremacy, and again on Exegol, he knew what he had to do. And, after taking a beat to center herself, so did she. “So, this is…”

“A goodbye, yes. Of sorts.”

Another moment of silence passed between them as she processed this. “Where will you go?” 

“Wherever people need me.” 

Rey considered this and dared to ask the question burning a hole in her mind and her heart. “And If I need you?”

Once more, they embraced as he pulled her tightly into his arms. She couldn’t help but wonder the next time she would get to feel like this—to feel this whole. In her ear, quietly enough that she was the only person in the galaxy who could hear him, he whispered to her. “I’ll be with you. Always.”  


\--  


Someday, when the sand fields of Jakku were filled with wreckages of ships from new wars, maybe things could be different. There would be new villains and new heroes, and for them, peace. Purpose. A life together both in the Force and in the flesh. But until then, their bond through space and time would have to do. And despite the ache in her heart that persisted as she was boarding the Falcon, staring at the setting twin suns, she was content. Because no matter how far apart they were, or where their journeys took them, the force always had a way of bringing them back together. One day, she knew, one way or another, it would be forever.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real go at fanfiction, so I'd appreciate any (thoughtful) feedback!


End file.
